10 Ways I’m Using AI Right Now (Part 1)
Artificial intelligence-based tools have become a tremendously helpful personal and professional asset in my life.
I use AI-based tools weekly in at least a dozen ways, big and small. They help me communicate more clearly, work more efficiently, make better decisions, and do things that would require staffing or skills I wouldn’t have access to otherwise.
Using AI tools, I estimate we add the equivalent of half a full-time person to our team in terms of productivity – and we run a relatively simple operation compared to most organizations.
A few months ago, I asked my readers if it would be helpful to keep an AI diary to document how I’m using AI and what worked well and what didn’t. Many of you responded enthusiastically.
Over the past few months, I’ve kept an AI diary. To compile this post, I reviewed the dozens of ways I’ve used artificial intelligence tools, grouped them into categories, and summarized them with examples.
Today we’ll look at part one of how I’m using AI-based tools.
My hope is that this Wave Report inspires simple day-to-day ways to leverage AI to grow yourself professionally and your organization.
Let’s go.
How I’m Using AI
1. To learn on the go.
Tools Used: ChatGPT Voice
There are times when I’m thinking about a topic I have questions about – something I don’t fully understand. In the past, I would try to make a mental note to look into the topic later. Sometimes I would forget about it, or just do not have the time later.
Now, I bring up my ChatGPT Voice Chat and have a brief conversation with the AI tool, asking it my questions.
☑️ Example: While driving the other day, I was reminded that I had been meaning to look into a specific type of insurance. I couldn’t remember the insurance, so I tapped on the ChatGPT voice shortcut on my phone controls screen and just started talking.
I described what I understood the insurance covered and explained that I couldn’t recall what it was called. After a couple of back-and-forths, I realized I was looking for long-term disability insurance.
Good to know!
Voice-based artificial intelligence assistants like ChatGPT Voice, Claude, and Gemini enable a new kind of conversational search.
I keep a handy shortcut to the ChatGPT Voice Chat on the controls screen of my phone.
Above: You can add a shortcut on the controls screen of an iPhone or Android to access AI voice chat with one tap. Or, if you have an iPhone 15 or later, you can add AI voice to the new action button on the side of the phone.
I’ve used AI-based voice chat many times to help me when I’m out and about – to brainstorm ideas, create a list of synonyms, ask for fun things to do in the next town we are visiting, or ask questions about the local history of an area.
💡 Takeaway: Use your time on the go productively by conversing with the AI-based voice assistant of your choice. To make it even easier, add a quick shortcut on your phone.
How I’m Using AI
2. To help create and document a process.
Tools used: ChatGPT Voice, ChatGPT Text
AI chat tools like ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot, and Gemini can help create and document processes.
For example, I used ChatGPT recently to help out in the kitchen.
☑️ Example: One of the joys of parenting for me has been that my two daughters are getting into cooking. While my youngest is more of a baker, my eldest loves to find recipes on Pinterest to try.
The problem is that sometimes the “recipes” she finds are 30-second TikTok-style videos that are essentially edited down to “so you toss in these ingredients, cook them, and VOILÁ… perfectly beautiful food!” 🤦♂️
The other day, she came to me with one such “recipe” for a Funfetti-flavored popcorn dessert. The video showed the ingredients – Funfetti cake mix, popcorn, marshmallows, and butter – but there were no measurements, ratios, or step-by-step instructions.
What was I supposed to do?
AI assistant to the rescue!
I pulled up my handy ChatGPT voice app and asked:
ChatGPT transcribed my question and immediately responded enthusiastically, “Sure, I can help with that!” and proceeded to list ingredients and step-by-step instructions.
The popcorn-based dessert turned out to be quite delicious, if not a little chewy. I’d call that a win.
💡 Takeaway: You can use AI chat tools like ChatGPT and Claude to draft and document a process. That could be as simple and fun as a recipe for Funfetti popcorn or as useful as a process for a data integration (here’s a more serious example I was playing with, asking Claude to help me come up with a process to import book orders into my CRM).
How I’m Using AI
3. To read content to me.
Tools used: Speechify
A simple and fun use that I learned from my friend Nathan Chappell, co-author of the upcoming book Nonprofit AI: A Comprehensive Guide to Implementing Artificial Intelligence for Social Good, is that you can use AI to read content to you.
Speechify can read any piece of content you want – a Word document, a webpage, etc. The app includes dozens of voices, including celebrities like Snoop Dogg, Gwyneth Paltrow, and MrBeast. Want Gwyneth Paltrow to read that latest article to you while you get ready in the morning? Want MrBeast to read the latest draft of your book? With Speechify, you can control the speed, style, and delivery of any piece of content.
☑️ Example: I was intrigued by a blog post this week but didn’t have time to read it. So, I entered the web address into Speechify and listened to it while running errands.
Above: Speechify can make consuming content on the go a breeze by offering many different options to turn words into audio.
I use Speechify sparingly, but typically, when I’m in a hands-free situation, like driving, when I want to consume an article or other piece of content.
💡 Takeaway: Using AI as an assistant like Speechify to read content can help make otherwise downtime more productive, such as when on the road or getting ready for the day.
How I’m Using AI
4. To plan a trip.
Tools used: ChatGPT Voice, ChatGPT Text, Google AI Overview
AI-based tools can be helpful for researching destination and trip planning, brainstorming activities and other ideas, searching obscure policies, and narrowing down options.
I nearly ruined spring break for my family this year.
As a family, we’ve talked about taking the kids to Hawaii for years. About two years ago, we decided that spring break 2025 would be that time. The trick is we use a timeshare that requires booking 7 months in advance. Early fall last year, I got to thinking, “When is spring break again? I’m guessing that the 7-month booking deadline is coming up…”
By the time I checked, I was mortified to discover we were two weeks PAST the booking window. I scrambled desperately to get online and prayed there would be availability, hoping against hope.
There was no availability. No vacancy. We had talked about this trip for years, and I had just ruined it.
This is where AI tools came to the rescue.
My first idea was that this might become a summer trip, so I asked ChatGPT for information on the different times of year we might visit and the average temperatures in the summer compared to the spring. I concluded that we needed to stick to the spring break timeframe.
The next idea I wondered was what if we used this to try another island. We had been planning on Oahu, the main island, but what if we could introduce the kids to Maui?
That quickly became an exciting possibility, so we began researching hotels. After talking as a family, it was clear that my youngest wanted access to a really cool pool for the trip.
The problem is there are hundreds of hotels in Hawaii, and I had no idea how to find the ones with nice pools. So I asked ChatGPT, explaining that I was researching places to stay in Maui, gave our travel dates, and asked for hotels or condos with the most unique or best pools. I clarified that we couldn’t afford luxury hotels, so to leave those off, and asked what it would recommend.
ChatGPT immediately responded with several options, including pictures.
Impressive! It understood the prompt and gave me sample images of hotel pools from the seven hotels recommended, including the source where it got each option on the list.
After pulling up a few hotels, some of the options were still relatively expensive, so I asked ChatGPT to rank them from least expensive to most expensive.
This was a huge help. Not only had I cut through the clutter of hundreds of hotels and narrowed down the options, but I was able to find information specific to my unique interests.
We were attracted to one of the options, but the cancellation policy was unclear. We never like to book a hotel six months out if we don’t have some flexibility. So, back to AI chat it was, to research potential concerns about the hotel's cancellation policy and travel insurance options.
As I write this, we’re a few weeks from the trip and staying at one of the hotels from the list that AI suggested. Fingers crossed!
💡 Takeaway: AI can act as a personal assistant with a powerful built-in search engine. By asking detailed questions and telling it what interests you, it can help you research and plan.
How I’m Using AI
5. To edit words.
Tools Used: Grammarly, ChatGPT
One of my favorite uses of AI-based tools is to improve how I communicate ideas. Over the past several weeks, I’ve used AI tools to:
Draft a speaking introduction: I gave ChatGPT my written bio and asked it to create a 20-second introduction for a speech I was giving to the host who would introduce me.
To simplify an email that was getting unwieldy: Have you ever written an email and thought, “This got waaay too complicated?” For a recent email, I told ChatGPT I was worried that it was too long, what I hoped the recipients would get out of it, and what I needed from them, and I pasted the email in. The tool provided great feedback to simplify the content and my questions.
To edit this Wave Report: I use Grammarly to edit every Wave Report I write. For today’s Wave Report, Grammarly started with 152 suggestions. It took me 18 minutes to review, and I ultimately accepted 48 of the suggestions. (Note: I turn off Grammarly when I write my first draft. I don’t need the tool correcting me as I go – I find it distracting!)
Cutting length without losing impact: I was asked to submit a description for an upcoming event, but it needed to be significantly shorter than I had initially written. I asked ChatGPT to help cut the description in half, reiterated what was important to keep, and pasted the description in. A few light edits later, and I was done!
Above: I use Grammarly to edit copy and help me write more clearly and concisely – it plugs in nicely to Google Docs, where I do most of my writing. Here are a few of the 152 suggestions Grammarly had for this week’s Wave Report, of which I accepted about one-third.
💡 Takeaway: When I’m stumped about writing, I often turn to ChatGPT, either giving it the words I have, asking for edits, explaining what I want to communicate, and asking it to help me get started.
Bonus: AI Fail
Tried to extract a data table from a PDF
I’ve had some complete fails trying to utilize AI-based tools along the way.
One surprising failure was that I had a PDF document that included a table with data I wanted to extract and put into spreadsheet form. I uploaded the PDF and asked ChatGPT to convert the table into a data table.
ChatGPT replied that the data had inconsistent lengths, but that it would correct this and share a structured table with me.
The resulting table ended up with data in the wrong cells, and while it looked similar to what was in the document, it was unusable. Rather than troubleshooting, I just moved on.
In Part 2 of this Wave Report, I’ll share five other ways I’ve used AI tools over the past couple of months, including how I used them to help me research and make a purchase decision, brainstorm ideas for a fun game, design a talk, and remind me to start preparing dinner.
Until next week… Surfs Up! 🌊
- Dave
About the Author | Dave Raley
Consultant, speaker, and author Dave Raley is the founder of Imago Consulting, a firm that helps nonprofits and businesses who serve nonprofits create profitable growth through sustainable innovation. He’s the author of the book The Rise of Sustainable Giving: How the Subscription Economy is Transforming Recurring Giving, and What Nonprofits Can Do to Benefit. Dave also writes a weekly innovation and leadership column called The Wave Report, and the co-founder of the Purpose & Profit Podcast — a show about the ideas at the intersection of nonprofit causes and for-profit brands. Connect with Dave on LinkedIn.
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